14 best flat irons of 2024, according to experts

Table Of Content

• How Many Passes Can You Make On The Same Section While Straightening?
• Best Flat Iron for Fine Hair
• Less expensive, more unwieldy: Conair InfinitiPro Tourmaline Ceramic Flat Iron
• Best Hair Straighteners and Flatirons, According to Our Testers
• What to Look for in Flat Irons
• Extra Features
• What to consider when shopping for the best hair straightener

Good Housekeeping participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. On top of all that, we also survey our proprietary consumer panel to get in-depth feedback from a wide range of people. In our latest test, we tallied up 2,013 heat data points and 960 consumer survey questions to find the best of the best.

How Many Passes Can You Make On The Same Section While Straightening?

Ceramic material also slides through hair seamlessly without pulling on strands. Just be sure to watch how often you’re ironing the same section of hair, says Taylor, since these plates tend to heat up quickly and can disrupt your hair’s integrity when it lingers on hair or you’ve done one too many passes. As steam tools were new to some of us, we appreciated that there were downward facing arrows on the tool that we used to guide us through the straightening process and ensure we were holding it correctly. We also like that we only had to press one button to toggle between the three different temperatures as we straightened our hair.

Best Flat Iron for Fine Hair

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The lower-cost Conair InfinitiPro Tourmaline Ceramic Flat Iron is very lightweight—0.51 pound—and clamping the plates together doesn’t require a lot of muscle. We tested the 1-inch-wide model with a purple casing, but Conair makes this flat iron in three sizes and seven colors, so it’s easy to find one that suits your needs. Our testers preferred the feel of the glossy finish on the casing of the CHI model to the matte finish of the GVP one, and it was only slightly bulkier than other straighteners we tested. Try temperatures above 400 degrees only if you find that you have to do multiple passes on strands of hair. Again, the goal is to limit the amount of time that you use a straightener on your hair. One quick pass at a high temperature is better than multiple slightly cooler passes.

Less expensive, more unwieldy: Conair InfinitiPro Tourmaline Ceramic Flat Iron

If you live in a humid climate, your hair will reabsorb water more quickly, which restores its natural (less straight) shape. With practice, you can figure out the ideal temperature for your hair and how to best maneuver the tool to create the style you want, but it’s best to take things low and slow at first. When we followed the brand’s suggested temperature settings for our hair type, we were able to style our hair quickly. We ran out of time, however, when we tried to rush the process and squish large sections of hair into the thin 0.5-inch plates. However, working in small sections prevented slippage and actually allowed us to create more defined curls and rewarded us with styles that lasted all day. For the most part, we were able to run it through our hair without tangling our strands, though we did notice minimal shedding when we used it on fine hair.

Digital display

“I’ve been straightening my hair since I was 10 and have only ever used two straighteners, including this one that I’ve owned for five years now,” she says. Unlike most other flat irons on our list, which allow you to adjust the temperature, this one is pre-set to prevent extreme heat on your hair, according to the brand. Begin by applying your post-shower products to washed hair, including any hair oil or detangler products you typically use before styling. As this hairstyle requires two heat-styling tools — a hair dryer and a flat iron — you'll want to apply a heat protectant to reduce damage.

If hair regularly gets snagged or otherwise caught on the device, you’re forced to apply more heat on those areas to fix them. With a real-time digital display, good-size plates, and no sharp corners or gaps to snag your hair, the GVP flat iron makes straightening quick and effortless. According to Taylor, ceramic plates are superior because they distribute heat evenly and use far-infrared heat to heat the hair from the inside out, meaning that "you’re reducing the amount of time you need to expose your hair to heat," she says.

What to Look for in Flat Irons

Tourmaline-coated plates are generally constructed from a tourmaline (a mineral) and ceramic blend that “offers an extra layer of protection and smoothness,” says Hill. Tourmaline irons are considered the best of the three types because their heat distribution means you’ll need fewer passes to get your desired straightening effect, says Bertin. David Jones-Muñoz, a stylist and owner of Salon Dumbo in Brooklyn, says he keeps this flat iron handy and loves that it has a small curve to help create a beachy wave. Although it does not have a digital display, it has smart technology that helps the straightener maintain a preset temperature as you style, according to Ghd.

To create the curl, “run the irons from the root to the end, twisting the iron at 180 or 360 degrees slowly away from the face with the iron vertical until you reach the tips of the hair,” says Justin. Repeat this method around your head, changing the direction of how you curl the hair to add depth and dimension. If you want a more natural look, Taylor suggests allowing the curls to cool before combing through with your fingers and  giving your hair a good tousle.

It also got perfect marks from testers for gliding smoothly through hair and being easy to use, with all commenting on the "noticeable shine" in just one pass. "I really like how fast I was able to style my hair," said one tester, with another saying, "I would buy this product in a heartbeat." However, if you choose the wrong one (or use one for too long), they can damage your hair. “The right flat iron ensures you don’t need to pass your hair several times and further increase the likelihood of damage,” says hairstylist Gina Rivera. Our experts agree that flat irons should have a button or knob that displays the temperature you’re using.

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My favorite thing about this straightener is that it makes hair sleek, but the flexible plates allow me to maintain a slight bend in my hair so it still has body. Even better, using it a few times a week doesn’t stress me out because it operates on a safer-for-hair 365-degree setting, which is less likely to cause hair damage than higher-temperature titanium irons. And despite being tossed into my overflowing hair tools drawer alongside a variety of curling irons, a blow dryer, brushes and clips, it still looks brand new, functioning just as well as the day I took it out of the box. This Chi flat iron doesn’t have multiple temperature options, but it does have an under 30-second heat-up time and extra-long (over 10 feet) swivel cord that gives you extra reach while styling.

It also got a perfect score among testers for not burning their face, scalp or neck, even for those who said that's been "an issue I've had with other flat irons," making it a solid choice for those who aren't confident using a heat tool quite yet. Harvey recommends this tourmaline-infused ceramic iron from Chi because it gives hair a smooth finish. It takes 30 seconds to heat up to the maximum temperature of 425 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the brand.

The iron eliminates the guesswork by selecting a temperature based on your hair type, with options for fine, medium and coarse. "Far too many times, people use a hotter setting than they actually need," our Lab pros say, but with nine temperature settings, this iron has the perfect fit for everyone, meaning you won't scorch even super fine hair. Titanium is a strong, durable metal best suited for professional salon use on coarse thick, curly and coily hair. These plates typically heat up the quickest and more evenly distribute heat compared to ceramic plates, which allows for fewer passes over the hair, a smoother finish and better results than a ceramic iron, says Foster. However, titanium can cause the most damage to your hair, so you should avoid these if you have fine or damaged hair, according to Hill. If you want a flat iron that will last you a long time, consider this option, which comes recommended by NBC Select editor Lindsay Schneider.

I could use it to create flatiron waves, but I found the shape and slight drag of the plate made the process harder for me. One drawback of this straightener is that it’s on the heavier side at nearly 17 ounces. It’s also not compact, so if that’s what you’re looking, for you should consider other models.

Blow-dry your hair in sections using a wide-tooth brush to help prevent breakage. Comb attachments from your blow-dryer can cause tension and break the hair; remove that attachment and replace it with the concentrator nozzle, which helps the airflow directly onto the section of hair you’re focusing on. Some straighteners come with heat-resistant mats or gloves, which are helpful for keeping countertops or fingers from getting singed. If you travel a lot, look for an iron with universal voltage to allow you to use it abroad. The plates on the BaByliss Pro Porcelain Ceramic Straightening Iron we tested didn’t touch, making it hard to straighten hair.

I divided my hair into six to eight sections with clips, and began straightening at the nape of my neck, clamping hair in approximately one-inch sections as close to the scalp as possible and gliding the iron downward from root to tip. I assessed how many passes each flat iron required to make my hair straight, smooth, shiny and free of frizz. I also checked how long the effects lasted, looking for frizz after 6 and 12 hours. The unique shape of the rounded-edge barrel allowed me to create straight styles, loose waves or curls easily, without creases. Other nice-to-have features include a 360-degree swivel cord and universal voltage to allow for international use. The one negative I found with the SinglePass StyleMax, however, is that inputting your hair type or manually selecting a heat setting isn’t immediately intuitive and requires a small learning curve.

Follow this up by treating your hair with a deep conditioning treatment or mask to hydrate and prevent frizz. Sign up to our newsletter and get exclusive hair care tips and tricks from the experts at All Things Hair. "It's a great all-in-one protectant. Just remember to apply liberally to towel-dried hair," they add.